Bush, Kerry Differ on 'Choice' of Homosexuality

TEMPE, Ariz. (Reuters) - [size=-1]President Bush and Democratic candidate John Kerry, who both oppose gay marriage, disagreed Wednesday on whether the issue should be left up to states and offered differing answers on whether a person could choose to be homosexual. [/size]
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[size=-1]In their third presidential debate, devoted to domestic issues, Massachusetts Sen. Kerry cited Vice President Dick Cheney's lesbian daughter Mary in arguing that sexual orientation was not a matter of individual choice and he said states have shown they are capable of managing their own marriage laws.




Bush, who supports a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, said he was unsure whether a person could choose to be homosexual and that an amendment was needed to ensure that the issue of marriage does not end up "being defined by courts."



The issue of gay marriage has played a role in this year's election campaign, following a Massachusetts state court ruling mandating the legalization of gay marriage in the state. Several states have measures to ban gay marriage on the Nov. 2 ballot, promoted by social conservatives at the heart of Bush's political base.



Asked by the debate moderator whether he thought homosexuality was a matter of choice, Bush said, "I just don't know. I do know that we have a choice to make in America and that is to treat people with tolerance and respect and dignity. It's important that we do that."



Kerry said, "I think if you were to talk to Dick Cheney's daughter, who is a lesbian, she would tell you that she's being who she was, she's being who she was born as. I think if you talk to anybody, it's not choice."



Kerry said he agreed with Bush that "marriage is between a man and a woman."



However, he called for anti-discrimination laws to protect the rights of homosexuals. In addition, referring to state authority over marriage laws, he said, "the states have always been able to manage those laws. And they're proving today, every state, that they can manage them adequately."



Bush defended his support for a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, which both houses of Congress have rejected this year.



He said he was concerned that existing federal legislation against gay marriage could be overturned in courts. "I was worried that activist judges are actually defining the definition of marriage, and the surest way to protect marriage between a man and woman is to amend the constitution," he said.



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pfft. As far as I'm concerned, Kerry is just the lesser of two evils.

 

It's generally better to have the lesser of two evils running your country though. If you vote for Kerry you're at least taking a step in the right direction towards equality, Bush seems determined to devolve the rights you already have.

 

i agree...kerry is the lesser of the two evils...but i really can appreciate how he understands that it is unconstitutional and that he doesn't have the power (as president) to pass an amendment that descriminates...and that he knows that it isn't his job to transfer his religion unto the people...separation of church and state motherfucker!

 

Just think, you could've been voting for America's first lesbian president if the bitch had stood. Stupid reality...

 

I'm not a huge fan of Kerry by any means, and won't defend his wishy-washiness. However, sometimes you have to glaze over issues (which he does, indeed, have a solid record on) in order to appeal to a wider population. Once he's in office, I'm sure he might stop talking in his conservative "children of god" lingo and get some things done for the GLBT community.

 

I don't know if I have as much confidence in Kerry as you do, Eliza, but at least he won't try to place an amendment banning gay marriages. The way I look at it, I'm going to be uncomfortable no matter who I vote for.

 

Here's the clincher then: if you, as an American, can't decide who to vote for, look to the rest of the world for advice. The election of America's president affects the whole world at the moment, and while it may not be obvious to you who is best for your country, it's plainly obvious who's best for everyone else's.